Destati
by Insignificance
Summary: AU and possible future Seph/Cloud. What if it wasn't Zacks who made it into SOLDIER, but Cloud? The past was changed, and so the future must change...come and watch the nightmare unfold.
1. Chapter 1

The end to the tale... perhaps not the happily ever after that most fairy tales boast, but it certainly isn't the worst ending now, is it? Aah, but wait, what's this? I see a different thread, coming away from that line of destiny. My, my, is it possible that my old eyes had weakened, or did it seem that THIS thread is going on an entirely different direction?   
  
Tell me, my young traveler, haven't you ever wondered what would happen if things were just a TINY bit different? Like say, what if those two young men never escaped from their prison under that gloomy mansion? Or if that dark-haired one didn't die, but it was the blond one who did?   
  
Oh-ho, so you're interested now, are you? Come, now, come, turn in a circle three times for me.   
  
No? Hmph. I suppose you don't want to know about this new thread, after all, eh? ... Hehe, thank you young man for indulging an old woman in her fancies. What? No, of course that request had nothing to do with this new thread. It's just so nice to see someone young making a fool of himself in front of an old hag like me.   
  
Ahem, was I cackling? I'm sorry, but dear young man, you probably should go and have your ears checked at. The nerve of the young these days, accusing a humble old woman like me of cackling. Hmph.   
  
... Come, come, don't become sour just because of jest from this humble one. You can't begrudge an old woman of her fun, can you?   
  
Now that I had my fill, I suppose it's time to get down to business. Aah, I should probably think of retirement plans. Truly, having to keep track of all these threads... My eyes were not as sharp as they once were, my boy.   
  
Yes, yes, I am getting to the point. Young people these days...never any patients.   
  
Now, come closer, my boy, come closer...for the tale I shall reveal to you now is of a different kind, so completely different from the original that perhaps you'd be shocked by it's contrast. Yes, yes, I can see it now, see the happenings in this thin thread, becoming thicker as it obtains more solidity. That is, I meant that the thread started out as flimsy and easy to be broken, but gained thickness as the reality within that thread becomes more and more real... Hmph. You knew what I meant, did you? Fine, then let us go on.   
  
Can you see it, my boy? Can you see that blond young man, barely out of boyhood, can you see him standing before his commanding officer? I'm sure you can, you have a keen eye there even if you are deaf enough to think that I was cackling. No, don't interrupt me, let us just continue on.   
  
Aah, yes, you must have remembered this moment, correct? In the original thread, that young man was rejected from becoming what he most wanted... But in this one, watch closely now, my boy... Did you see that? In this thread, he was accepted... Such youthful joy. I feel profound pity for him, for what Destiny have in store for him.   
  
Let us now watch the tale again, but this time altered irreversibly in a different direction. Let us watch how this version of the tale ends. Like a fairy tale? Or like a nightmare?   
  
Come now, be silent and watch. We mustn't disturb the thread in any way, even if it shall come down to the nightmare that I fear shall manifest. Now watch...watch as the dream and the nightmare become one...  
  
  
~ * * ~  
  
  
Cloud Strife vaulted off the top of the train with practiced ease, each part of his muscles working perfectly in sync with each other to bring the maximum result possible. He was used to that, of course. He was an ex-SOLDIER, after all.   
  
For a split second, his eyes narrowed, the glow of the Mako injection flaring brightly, and a bitter smile came to his lips.   
  
Yes, he was only an ex-SOLDIER now. But certainly no less useful.  
  
Cloud rushed forward, knowing that time was both his enemy and his ally. Things must be done quickly in order to finish the job safely. He let his eyes rest on the downed guard near him, and with a sneer of distaste, he searched the corpse and found two bottles of potion. While he normally wouldn't rob the dead, in a situation like this, being safe is better than being dead. His current employers are poor and didn't bother to give him much in terms of supplies. But it doesn't matter, he need the job and the money desperately. The blond young man shot another disgusted look at the dead, and moved on. Besides, if he didn't do it, someone else would've come along and raided the corpse; might as well be him.   
  
The blond followed the way the rest of his team members went, cursing a little as he was delayed by various guards that were around. He managed to dispatch them rather easily, though, as they were no more than normal guards, nothing that an ex-SOLDIER couldn't get rid of quickly.   
  
Cloud approached the group of ragtag people standing at the gate of the Mako reactor. He concealed a grimace; they weren't much for a resistance group. None of them had any materia, and he doubted they would know how to use one should they have any. A pity, as Cloud himself was an expert with the small crystals, and if he was provided with a Restore materia, then he wouldn't have had to raid the body of a dead man. As it is, he only had his Lightning and Ice materia. Useful in a fight, yes, but they could hardly save his life should he need healing.   
  
Cloud suddenly let out a small, but visible smirk as a thought came to him. Maybe this AVALANCHE hoped that at the end, he was too far-gone to collect his pay. Ha, as if. He wasn't an ex-SOLDIER for nothing. He would be sure that he gets paid.   
  
"So you're an ex-SOLDIER?" one of the resistant group members spoke up. Cloud started then gave a curt nod.   
  
"But I thought SOLDIERs are our enemy?" one of the others asked and Cloud resisted the urge to sneer and make a sarcastic remark.   
  
"That's why he's an EX-SOLDIER," the first said. "I'm Biggs, and that's Wedge," he said, pointing first to himself, then at the fat one who made the stupid remark. Then he pointed to the only female in the group, a young woman with brown hair pulled into a bun and a red bandanna around her forehead. "And that there is are strategist, Jesse." The young woman offered a shy smile to Cloud. He wasn't impressed.   
  
A huge man run up to them then, his feet making loud pounding noises on the metal floor. He was dark, with bulging muscles and a gun for arm. He looked dangerous, but to Cloud Strife, he only looked like a huge lumbering idiot. "You're an ex-SOLDIER, eh? What's your name, kid?"  
  
Cloud stamped down the annoyance at being called a 'kid'. It doesn't matter, he reminded himself, I have to finish the mission; that's the only thing that matters now. "Cloud. Cloud Strife."   
  
"Cloud, huh? I don't trust ya," the huge man said, glowering a little and glaring at him. "Barret's my name. I'll be comin' with ya from now on, so don't try anythin' funny, get it?"  
  
Cloud forced himself not to glare back or do anything that would jeopardize his mission, and shrugged, hopefully, in a way that meant 'whatever'. He found out a while ago that a gesture like that enrages the person it's aimed at, and he found it to be a great way to get revenges, as they can never retaliate because he did nothing wrong, in technical terms.   
  
There was a soft muttering and then the metal gate slid open with a grinding noise. Jesse quickly related the plan once more to the team before everyone rushed through the last barrier into the Shinra's Mako reactor.   
  
Cloud allowed them to leave him behind, looking up at the giant poster of Shinra's name on the top of the reactor. This is it, he thought. The beginning to the end...this is where my mission starts and I refuse to allow it to fail. For a split second, his face twisted together into a beastly feral grin as his Mako eyes flared bright blue in the darkness. But it was only a split second, and then he too was running into the enemy-infested Mako reactor.   
  
  
~ * * ~  
  
  
When Tifa heard the shouting outside her bar, the loudest being Barret, of course, she knew that the mission was completed successfully. If anything had gone wrong, the leader of AVALANCHE certainly wouldn't be wasting time threatening all the other residents in the sector, anyway.   
  
A few moments later found her watching with amusement as the huge man burst through the door to Seventh Heaven, brandishing his gun arm at all the patrons and threatening at them to leave. Within seconds the previously filled bar was emptied, and soon the rest of the AVALANCHE team rushed in for some well deserved drink and rest.   
  
Tifa searched anxiously for a spiky blond head, and felt immense relieve as that spiky head came into view just inside the door. "Cloud!" she yelled, a smile on her face as she rushed forward to greet the young man. A quick check with her eyes told her that he seemed to be perfectly fine, no injuries at least outwardly. Of course he's not injured, she told herself sternly. He was in SOLDIER, after all. "So, did you and Barret fight again?"  
  
The blond young man shook his head shortly, offering her a small smile. "No, not this time."   
  
"Thank goodness," Tifa replied, smiling too. "You two always fight about everything. I was afraid that you were fighting each other instead of the Shinra soldiers."   
  
Something dark flashed through the faintly glowing eyes, but it was gone so fast that Tifa wasn't sure she saw it at all. It's probably just the bad lighting, she told herself, pushing away her worry and the sudden chill that enveloped her.   
  
"We did fine, this time, the plan went without a hitch," he told her, a confident smirk on his face. Contradicting his facial confidence, one of his hands came up to scratch the back of his head in almost embarrassment. That was when she noticed the pretty white flower in his hand.   
  
"Oh, a flower! Is it for me?" Tifa asked. She didn't really meant to say that, actually, but it just came out without her noticing as she was in fact too shocked that he bothered to GET a flower in the first place.   
  
Now a blush came to Cloud's face, and he looked embarrassed, too. "Um, actually it's for Marlene..."  
  
"Oh," the young woman said, slightly disappointed. "So it's for Marlene..." Tifa blinked, suddenly realizing that the ever-present little girl wasn't next to her, as she thought she was. "Marlene!" She spun around looking desperately for the little girl she knew is there. Tifa was so relieved at seeing Cloud in fine condition that she didn't even notice the little girl hadn't come out to greet her Papa, like she usually did. Finally, after a few moments of searching with her eyes, she found the little girl in the pretty purple dress hiding behind the counter, with only her eyes peeking out.   
  
"Marlene, come here, Marlene, look what Cloud bought for you?" Tifa called out, bending down and slowly coaxing the little girl from her hiding place. She was slightly confused, but not too worried. Marlene was usually such an open girl, although she was shy around other adults, but she never failed to greet her Papa, Barret, when he comes back from his AVALANCHE business before.   
  
Marlene inched out from her hiding place behind the bar counter, then rushed forward and hid behind Tifa's legs, large brown eyes peering up at the face of the spiky-haired blond young man. If Tifa didn't know better, she'd say that Marlene looked SCARED of Cloud. But that can't be, of course. There's no reason for Marlene to fear Cloud, so maybe she's just too shy around a young man that she wasn't familiar with.   
  
Cloud knelt down on one knee and offered the white flower to the little girl. "Pretty flower for the pretty little lady," he said, smiling slightly. Marlene backed away half a step, then moved forward and quickly grabbed the flower from Cloud's hand, then rushed back behind the counter again without looking back. For a second, Tifa almost thought she saw Cloud's mouth twist from the smile to an ugly snarl. But it was only for a second, and then her attention was diverted to the loud crash coming from the doorway that can only be the huge leader of AVALANCHE. Probably just back from his terrorizing session to keep the rest of the residents away from the bar while they conduct their business.   
  
"Papa!" The joyful cry came from behind Tifa, and she recognized the blur that shot past her to be that of Marlene. The young woman watched as Barret Wallace threw his daughter up into the air, catching her, and then twirled her around in a few circles. A strangely disoriented feeling arose in her mind as she watched those actions. Something was...wrong? No, not exactly wrong, just weird. Frustratingly strange. Something that she wasn't used to feeling. It's like having an itch underneath your skin. You can pinpoint the area easily, but no matter how hard you scratch, you will never relieve it because it's buried within your muscles, not on the surface. It's...irritating. Irritating and confusing.   
  
Tifa shook her head briskly, catching the sight of all of the members of AVALANCHE going under to the secret hideout, the only one left being Cloud. No doubt the young man stayed wasn't just for the sole purpose of keeping Tifa company. The huge leader of AVALANCHE and the young ex-SOLDIER had never gotten along, no matter the amount of peacekeeping Tifa and the rest of the crew tried to do. And for some odd reason, the spiky-haired blond seemed keen on keeping things that way.   
  
"So...care for something to drink?" Tifa asked, going behind the counter of her bar, absently picking up the towel that she abandoned when she saw the AVALANCHE members coming in and started to wipe down the wood surface again.   
  
Cloud came over and sat down on one of the stools, but shook his head in refusal to her offer. "No." She gave a small smile and shrugged, continuing her work. There was a small pause, then "But thanks for the offer, Tifa." Tifa gave a bigger smile this time, knowing that the offer of a drink wasn't the only thing that Cloud was thanking her for. He was also thanking her for the offer of the mercenary job in AVALANCHE as well for her tolerance at his constant head butting against Barret.   
  
"No problem, Cloud," she replied, just as loud cursing flowed up from beneath their feet. Barret had finally realized that one of the members, mercenary or not, was not present. Tifa let a small smile of private amusement appear on her lips. "You better get going or Barret might decide to destroy another few of the hideout's sparse enough furnitures. I may own the place that he conduct his meetings, but I hardly have enough money to replace the chairs he smash each time."  
  
Cloud shot her a croaked smile, noting her amusement filled voice that showed she was not serious about what she was saying. "Geez, so much as for SECRET hideout," he replied, getting up and heading over to the old machine on the side. "I wonder just how he managed to keep the place from becoming general knowledge. One yell from him and everyone would know there's another place under here."   
  
"And that's why he chased out all my customers, after all," Tifa replied, grinning slightly. "Now you better go or else Barret would literally blow up."   
  
Cloud let out an undignified snort and triggered the mechanism that allowed his descend. Less than a minute later, loud shouting began, most of it from the not exactly clean mouth of Barret Wallace. Slowly, now without an audience, Tifa let the grin fall away.   
  
She grabbed another wet towel from under the counter and marched toward the tables, scrubbing at the liquor stains on the rough wood almost harshly. She was trying to forget, but one's memories are not something that could be pushed away easily.   
  
It had been five years now since she left her hometown of Nibelheim and came to the city of Midgar. She was only 15 then, only a child. One morning she had caught the sight of her childhood friend, Cloud Strife on the Midgar News, and she was absolutely ecstatic. Cloud not only became SOLDIER First Class as he promised he would, but he was also second in command to the Great Sephiroth himself. The picture on the Midgar News was of Sephiroth taking his speech in one of many of Midgar's famous celebrations marches, and standing beside the man was Cloud, perhaps not tall but certainly proud with his huge buster sword strapped behind him.   
  
From then on Tifa ambushed all outside visitors for news in Midgar, and soon the whole town was talking of Cloud Strife. One of the technicians passing through Nibelheim to check on the Mako reactor on Mount Nibel told her that Cloud was nearly as well known as Sephiroth. He saved the Great Sephiroth's life, the technician told her as she listened on intently, hungry for the news as if she needed it to live. And perhaps in a way, she did.   
  
When her martial arts teacher, Zangan came along, she practically begged him to take her to Midgar. And it was with great excitement as she packed her bags, waiting with anticipation at the moment when she would meet again with Cloud, her childhood friend who made her a promise that she still remembered to this day.   
  
But the moment never came. Zangan was a nice man and made sure she was well provided for when she first arrived. He arranged for her a place to stay and a place to work, all the while teaching her what he knew of martial arts. For a while, she was content to stay put and not do anything except what was expected her. She worked hard in both her job and her martial art lessons. She didn't thought of Cloud at first. After all, she just came to a big city. No, not just any big city, but Midgar. MIDGAR, the greatest city on the continent, home to the world's richest and most powerful company, Shinra. So what if the air was so polluted and she couldn't see the sky, no matter the time of the day? It didn't matter to her. She was in Midgar.  
  
But the elation wore off as the time went by. It was nearly two months later before she worked up the nerve to search for Cloud. But by then, it was too late.   
  
When she first asked, the Shinra manager told her that Commander Strife and General Sephiroth went on a mission. She wasn't worried, then, although a little disappointed. A week later when she went back, the same Shinra manager looked at her with almost suspicion before chasing her away, leaving her no information as to where Cloud might have been. She hadn't given it that much thought at the time, really. Cloud went on an important mission for Shinra and hasn't come back yet; it was simple enough, although she was a little peeved at the Shinra manager's attitude. She was confident since the beginning that she would see Cloud again.  
  
It was only two days after when she found her world of illusion shattered. Shinra released the announcement of Sephiroth's death on the Midgar News. None of his party was reported alive; among those was the well-known Commander, Cloud Strife.   
  
The news was the talk of the whole city, both above and below the Plates. The citizens of Midgar mourned for the end of their heroes, and Shinra no doubt were not pleased at the loss of their two most powerful SOLDIERs. But none of them, none of them had their dream torn away like she has.   
  
She packed her bags immediately, although she was almost in shock at the news. She ate and slept mechanically, and whenever she wasn't doing those things, she was either packing up her clothes, or sitting in the chair in front of her window and staring out emptily. She didn't go to work, nor did she attend her lessons with Zangan. For a week, she was dead to the world. At the end of that week, she was well on her way back to her hometown.   
  
Everything was as it should be when she got back. But no matter how she begged, no one would tell her what happened. Finally, the reality caught up to her and she found herself unable to stay at the place where Cloud Strife had died. Zangan came to look for her then, and she followed him back to Midgar once more. It was the second time she left her home. And as she made that same trip again, she swore her hatred to the ones who ended her dreams. If Shinra hadn't sent them on that mission, then Cloud wouldn't have died. If Midgar News were never released in the first place, then she never would've known about Cloud, and in the same way, she would've been in Nibelheim when he arrived on his mission. It was a twisted logic, but she was beyond caring by then. She swore she would get her revenge someday. It was a vow that she planned to keep.   
  
After coming back, she immediately set to work on her job again with a renewed vigor. With her quickly improving skills in martial arts, she was able to take many odd jobs and it was only two years later when she managed to get enough money to start up her own bar. And that was when she moved from Sector 3 to Sector 7 and set up her Seventh Heaven. It wasn't too long after that when she met Barret Wallace, a rude and brawny man with a surprisingly gentle heart, recruiting members to join AVALANCHE.   
  
And the rest was history. Things went well for AVALANCHE mostly, although they did nothing more than making plans and occasionally destroying a few of Shinra's less important warehouses when they had the chance. It was a delicate job of strategy and strength, and although they had some resources, it wasn't easy going against someone like Shinra, especially when you're living in the same city that Shinra created. But even then, things were good.   
  
Just as AVALANCHE was preparing for their first major resistance attack, Tifa almost found her world crashing down around her ears again. One morning, while running some errands for her bar and for AVALANCHE, she came across a blond young man unconscious on the ground of the train station, unnoticed in the early hours. She never thought she would see him again, but it was unmistakably HIM. Him. Cloud Strife. Him.   
  
She brought him back to her bar and it wasn't long before he regained consciousness. She never asked him why he was passed out cold in the deserted train station and he never offered an explanation. She did know that he was in need of money, though, and since she knew AVALANCHE needed extra help for their first bombing, it was easy enough to hire Cloud as their extra help. He was ex-SOLDIER. There's nothing he couldn't do.   
  
And now, there was almost a feeling of helplessness surrounding her. The mission was over. Cloud will get his money soon. And then, he'll leave. Again, away from her life.   
  
"No!" she said out loud, clenching the rag in her hand until her knuckles were white. No, I'll find a way to keep him from leaving me again, she told herself, taking deep breaths to calm her nerves. "I'll find a way. Even if I have to give up Seventh Heaven and follow him, I will find a way. I have to." Because she realized that that if she let him walk away, her life will shatter, and she will not be able to take it any more.  
  
~ * * ~  
  
Barret Wallace gave one last plan overview to the rest of AVALANCHE before running on board to the old train, the rust colored metal sliding close behind him, almost snatching the back of his shirt. They were ready. At least, he hoped they were. AVALANCHE's performance the previous day during the bombing of Mako Reactor #1 was perfect, although they were discovered at the last minute and was forced to battle the Scorpion Guard. But they managed to blow up the Mako reactor and get out alive, and that was all he hoped for.   
  
He never shows it, but Barret was damned proud of his ragtag team. They may be a small group but he'd be damned if they hadn't put a slight damper on Shinra's plans in sucking the Planet dry of Mako. And they deserved every fuckin' ounce of pain that AVALANCHE is going to dish out. The planning and bombing wasn't just for the sake of the Planet. It was also his revenge. And he wasn't going to stop until Shinra was dead and buried, until he was sure that the dark empire will never rise again. It was the least he could do for all the people that died. It was the least he could do to punish those that killed without remorse.   
  
Barret looked up from his dark contemplation to the blond-haired young man standing behind Tifa, apparently looking at the train route map. At first it was a blessing when Tifa first introduced Cloud to Barret. Ex-Soldier though he may be, he was certainly a major help during their first bombing. Barret have to admit that without Cloud, it was a very high possibility that AVALANCHE might not have made it through.   
  
But still, that didn't take away the feeling of unease whenever the young man was near him. The arguments between them weren't just because Barret had nothing to do; they were all prompted by the dark feeling he always get around the short blond. Despite that, Barret really was relieved when Tifa managed to recruit Cloud again for their next mission. He didn't know how she did it, but he was definitely glad for it. Shinra's security would no doubt be much tighter now, and it was even possible that they would be waiting for AVALANCHE to show up. Barret wasn't going to disappoint them, though. Even if they were waiting, he would be ready. And if anything were to go wrong, he would take a part of Shinra down with him.   
  
The sudden blaring of alarm and the flashing red lights jolted him out of his thoughts and he rushed to his feet immediately, looking for the source of the trouble.   
  
"INTRUDER ALERT! INTRUDER ALERT!" the alarm was screaming. It was obvious that their fake IDs were detected. Damn.   
  
Barret run toward where Cloud and Tifa were and arrived just in time to hear Jessie babbling something about it being her fault, that she made their ID's special and that was why they were detected. The large gunman let out a string of curses, but he wasn't all that mad. It's true that they are now forced to actually jump the train while it's running, but that really wouldn't put much of a damper on AVALANCHE's plans. In fact, it would be better this way because then they wouldn't have to deal with train station guards that would no doubt greet them when they start their mission. With this, they just have to move quickly to avoid the scanner, and that was all.  
  
Barret followed the rest of the team through the doors and rushed past the other occupants of each car. Beside a single incident where Cloud was forced to chase back a thieve, they were mostly unhindered from their escape. Finally, they arrived at the last car, where the door was open. The other three AVALANCHE members, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge, were all in disguises. By the open door, Tifa and Cloud were already standing in readiness to jump. All they needed was the signal.   
  
"Just go!" Barret shouted, trying to be heard over the noise of the wind. "And you, Cloud, don't get your spikey-ass hurt, alright?!" It was true that the young man make him feel uncomfortable, but he did help AVALANCHE and they would probably need more of his help in what is to come. The last thing they need would be for a man short.  
  
The blond nodded his head and gave an arrogant wave of his hand before following Tifa's example and jumped off the train, tugging himself into as compact of a ball as possible to reduce any unnecessary injuries.   
  
Barret turned around and looked at the rest of the team. "You three's gonna be alright?" he shouted. All three nodded and signaled for him to go. Once Barret jumped free of the train and they close the door, they're capable of mixing in along with the other occupants of the train, as they were in disguises. It's actually quite easy to trick the train guards with tales of how they lost their ID cards and the such.  
  
Barret sent them a sign of good luck, and then turned toward the door. The dark gloomy scene of nothingness and steal blurred past him, and for a moment, he felt almost a hopeless feeling passing through him. The usual darkness was almost like an omen to a dim future. Barret shook off the feeling, annoyed at himself. He wasn't the type to be overcome by superstitions. With one last look at the blurred images before him, he closed his eyes, readied himself for a rough ride, and jumped.  
  
~ * *~  
  
Tifa shivered slightly as the cold air engulfed her. She looked around at her surrounding, but it wasn't very cheery, and it only served to bring her nervousness to a new height. It was quiet. Too quiet. You'd think that Shinra would be upping the security after AVALANCHE's first bombing, but there were barely any guards at this Mako reactor. The few that they did encounter were the usual ones that patrol the place, and they were dispatched quickly enough.   
  
It was just too quiet. Creepy.   
  
Tifa followed the other two that consist of the first AVALANCHE team, and decided to stick close to Cloud. It wasn't that she didn't trust Barret to cover her, but from experience she know that the large man works better alone or with other long-range fighters. It's a bit hard to shoot when there's a high possibility of shooting your allies than your enemies.   
  
The three continued on cautiously, quickly dispatching any robot guards that got in their way. After acquiring some materias back in Sector 7, Tifa became the unofficial healer of the group, and she found that she didn't mind. She wasn't as comfortable as Cloud in dealing with magic; she was much better at just getting close and personal with her enemies, but she found that using healing magic felt different than using attack magic. It wasn't long before she became quite used to calling up the power of restoring to heal Cloud and Barret whenever needed.   
  
They were arriving at familiar territory now. Tifa wasn't there for the first bombing mission but that doesn't mean she had never been inside a Mako reactor before. In fact, she'd say that she knew more about the layout of the place than either of her companions. A year ago, when AVALANCHE were first starting their serious plans on destroying the Mako reactors, it was Tifa, Jessie, and Biggs who went on the mission to draw out an accurate floor plan of each reactors. The layout of the place was a must need, as it certainly won't do if they got lost while trying to get out.   
  
Dammit. It was way too quiet for her liking.   
  
Tifa knew that they were drawing close to the place where they would be setting up their bomb. She expected to be attacked by now. That is, attacked by someone or something more higher than the normal patrol guards. What happened earlier on the train heightened her adrenaline, and she was afraid that there might be some type of ambush waiting for them.   
  
Even Barret was silent when they arrived at their destination.   
  
Cloud approached the central point to the reactor with the bomb in his hand. Tifa was a few steps behind him, watching and listening intently to the sounds around her. It was at that moment when Cloud suddenly fell to his knees with a soft gasp. And then, he was clutching as his head, shaking like a leave, the bomb dropped beside him like a discarded toy.   
  
Barret was rushing up to Cloud, demanding to know what was wrong with him. But Tifa didn't move. She watched Cloud, the feeling of wrong-ness increasing until her body was starting to hurt. And then her sight was blurring, and she was forced to close her eyes. Voices were in her head, clamoring for her attention. Something was wrong. Wrong, wrong, WRONG.   
  
'My, such a pretty little child. It's too bad that you came back to this ruin at such an inopportune time.'  
  
Tifa shook her head sharply, feeling even more dizzy as she did so, but wanting to chase that nasty voice away.   
  
'I've never tried it on girls before. The results should be interesting.'   
  
Interesting...  
Interesting...  
Interesting...  
  
SHUT UP!! Tifa screwed her eyes shut and slapped her hands over her ears in an effort to shut that disgusting voice out. And then, just as abruptly as it came, the clamoring in her mind died away. The dizziness was gone and her eyes were no longer blurred. Tifa let out a short gasp of breath, wiping a thin layer of sweat from her forehead. Cloud was still kneeling at where he was before, only now looking around with dazed eyes. Barret was behind him, looking a bit concerned, still demanding to know what was wrong. No one noticed her own little episode.   
  
"Come on," Barret finally said after a moment of silence to let Cloud recover. "We better get this over with soon."  
  
Cloud nodded and stood back up, grabbing the bomb while he was doing that. The bomb was set immediately and it didn't take much trouble to do.   
  
"Come on, let's go," Tifa said. She let the two men to go first before following them, shivering as she did so. They're almost done with the mission, and it would be good to be out of the damned place. The young martial artist dispatched some of the patrol robots that they attracted, adding more vicious punches to her assault, almost like how she viciously pushed away the thoughts of what just happened.   
  
It wasn't much of a surprise to Tifa when the three of them were ambushed on the catwalk. She was almost a bit relieved that it happened, because she was expecting it so much. Quickly, she went into her fighting stance, checking to make sure that her Restore materia is still attached to the slots on her gloves, and keeping an eye on the Shinra troopers. Barret, next to her, was cursing a long blue string.  
  
There was a silence, then from the bridge came a fat old man with blond hair and a mustache. It was very obvious who this is. Shinra. President Shinra. Barret recognized him immediately and was already growling, ready at any moment to bring up his gunarm and shoot at the fat man. Tifa kept him back, though. It would be unwise to do anything drastic, since those guns held by the troopers are still aimed at them.   
  
"So, this is AVALANCHE," President Shinra said, his blue eyes hard, yet made ridiculous by the layers of fat that made them barely visible except as pale blue slits. "How pathetic. If I had known that you are no more than vermins, I would never have wasted my time here to meet you."  
  
Barret lost it at those words and rushed forward. He had enough sense not to go too far, though. "YOU GODDAMNED FUCKER!! Who the fuck are you calling vermins?! You Shinra are the vermins, you fucking bastard, vermins that are sucking the Planet of its life! ARRRGH!!" Barret was seriously pissed off, and Tifa had to use all her considerable strength to keep him from really running up to the President, and getting himself killed at the same time.   
  
Cloud stepped forward, and all eyes were now trained on him. It was a good thing that he did, too, as the troopers were seriously considering shooting Barret. It was quite obvious to Tifa that the blond had done it deliberately to take the heat off of the large gunman.   
  
The President's sharp gaze immediately caught the faint glow of Mako in the young man's eyes. "Oh, who is this? I can tell you were a SOLDIER."   
  
Cloud offered an odd little half smirk and gave an almost mocking bow at the President. His buster sword was strapped behind him, but he made no attempt to unleash it. "Cloud. Cloud Strife. I'm sure you recognize me, don't you?"   
  
The name worked almost like a bomb. A sudden hush was pulled over the troopers and all of them were now staring at Cloud in almost fear-filled awe. The President looked shocked, but he regained his composure immediately. "Cloud Strife, I see. What a joke, the man died five years ago." He glared at Cloud, Tifa, and Barret, his calm no longer so perfect. "It doesn't matter, you won't get the chance to go and spread that lie any more. I had arranged a little toy for your enjoyment." With a snap of finger, a huge robot rushed past and forced Tifa and Barret away from Cloud. It was so huge that the two of them had to back away, or risk becoming crushed under its wheels.   
  
A helicopter swooped down from the sky, the wind from the swirling blade whipping Tifa's hair wildly behind her. Cloud made no move to stop the President from leaving, only standing there with that odd little half smirk still on his face, eyes narrowed in what appeared to be contempt. The troopers had already fled the scene. They were no longer needed, and they were not going to stay and get the reward of possible death for their trouble.   
  
Cloud turned around to face the Air Buster, but still made no move to get his sword. The first thing he did was to cast Bolt. And then he cast Bolt again, and again, and again. Tifa caught on immediately and began to attack with Bolt, too. She was glad that she decided to keep at least one attack materia with her. It felt odd pulling the attack magic, but it wasn't a bad odd, so she just ignored it. Barret was beside her, shooting with his gun at the machine, sparks raining down at them from where the bullets met the metal. It didn't work a well as the Bolt magic, but it still helped.   
  
The crackling of electricity and the sound of metal grinding against metal were the only warning Tifa had before the whole entire thing exploded. Suddenly, everything was painted in colors of orange fire, as the Mako reactor also burst into flames. The bridge under their feet trembled, and with a loud crack it broke. The movement made Cloud slip and he fell, one hand just barely keeping him still attached to the jagged edge.   
  
"CLOUD!! Hold on, please, just hold on!!" Tifa was screaming, and she knew it, but she couldn't seem to help herself. Suddenly, her world was narrowing down. Cloud was going to fall. He's leaving her again. She barely noticed that the Mako reactor was burning. She didn't hear Barret shouting, or Cloud's reply. All she could acknowledge was that Cloud is leaving her. No, no, NO!   
  
And then, the blond fell.   
  
~ * * ~  
To be continued...  
~ * * ~ 


	2. Chapter 2

Can't you hear it? Hear the screams of the Planet? Such horrible sounds, tearing into my soul and marring it forever. You can hear it, can't you? I hear it ever since I was a child. I had to live with it for all these years, following these threads of Destiny, watching as each dreams and nightmares unfold, yet never able to touch them.  
  
They called it Destati, these endless wails of despair. The song of pain pulled together into a choir of screams, horror to the soul, yet beautiful to behold.  
  
No, don't say anything. I'm an old woman now, pity will not help, nor is it needed. Don't worry, I'm fine. Soon, my journey shall end, and my role here will be passed on to another. Soon, I shall return to the Planet. And that, is all I can ever hope for.  
  
Now watch, carefully. Remember to never touch the threads. No matter how things become, never touch the threads. You are a mere witness, not a judge. Just remember that. Now pay attention. Let the nightmare unfold once more...  
  
~ * * ~  
  
Aeris Gainsborough nearly had a heart attack when the body came hurling down from above, crashing a hole on the roof of her church, and crushing the flowers that she spent so much time tending. It wasn't that she was someone very easily scared. It was just that, having a body bursting down from nowhere, nearly crushing you while it was at it, it certainly was shocking enough to traumatize anyone. And as Aeris counted herself to be a very hard person to scare, she found herself rooted to the spot and blinking in shock. That, and trying to get the dirt out from her eyes.  
  
At first she thought it was a corpse. It wasn't unusual to find dead bodies littering the alleys of the corrupted city; it was unusual for the cutthroats to dump their body from anywhere above Aeris' church, as there was no other buildings that tower over it except for the Top Plate. And no one in the Top Plate wasted their time dumping their bodies to those that dwell below when they could earn cash just by selling those bodies to Shinra's scientists for their experiments. The only reason those that lives under the Plates didn't work the same way was because the Shinra scientists never buys from the Slums, claiming that their dead were too disease ridden or ill-fed to be good for any studies.  
  
Aeris gritted her teeth, hands clenching her staff tightly, trying to control her tempers. Bastards, all of them, she thought angrily. If she could, she would've moved with her mom out of the corrupted city years ago. But she couldn't, of course, as selling flowers for one gil each wasn't a very good source of income.  
  
A soft groan brought the flower girl's attention back to the matter at hand. Aeris poked the body with the tip of her staff, and when it didn't move, she knelt down beside it to see who it might be. It was a young man, blond under the amount of dirt, she could tell. Beside the filth covering him, there seemed to be no blood or wounds visible anywhere. His face was handsome, certainly, but at the moment it was twisted together in an ugly expression that she wasn't sure was wholly of pain.  
  
That was when the young man moved.  
  
Aeris jumped backwards again, holding her staff tightly before her. Something wasn't right with him. It wasn't the fact that despite he fell from near to the Top Plate but didn't have any major injuries. It was something that she felt mentally, but she couldn't pinpoint it except to the mysterious young man. Aeris blinked. A mysterious young man who fell from the Top Plate, who not only did not sustain any injuries, but is in fact starting to get up.  
  
"Uh, hi," she said, smiling, albeit a little hesitantly. The young man was standing straight now and she found that he wasn't that tall, maybe only three or four inches above her own 5'3" height. He shook his head; his gravity-defying hair becoming more of its natural color after all the dirt had been shaken out. Without the grime, his face was young and still fairly round with some of the boyish baby fat that children have. When he looked up, his Mako infused eyes were staring straight into hers.  
  
"I'm sorry 'bout that," he said, voice low, hands sweeping to indicate the crushed flowers.  
  
Aeris quickly waved away his apology. "No, no, It's fine. You're lucky, though. The roof and the flowers probably broke your fall." Although I doubt you should be getting out of this without any injuries either way, she added in her mind.  
  
"I'm Cloud," the young man said. Aeris noticed that he deliberately forgot to tell her his last name, but she was tactful enough not to ask. She peered closer at his face, realizing that he seemed a bit familiar. Finally, it came to her. The man who bought a flower from her at the train station. Her eyes brightened a bit.  
  
"Hey, do you remember me?" she asked, smiling more widely now. It was true that she feels a bit uncomfortable, but it could be just her. Even though she was a pretty good judge of character, and her feelings never steered her wrong before, Cloud didn't seem to be evil and had been quite polite to her in fact. Her smile fell slightly when he shook his head in negative, but she wasn't too disappointed. She was almost a bit glad that the young man didn't remember her. It did interest her when he told her that he was a mercenary, though.  
  
A cough from behind her caught her attention. Without turning, she knew exactly who it is. They've been after her for as long as she could remember, ever since she was a child. They tried persuading her mother to let her go, and when that failed, they tried to kidnap her. She managed to escape time after time, but she knew her luck was bound to run out sooner or later. But she'd rather be dead than to go and work for Shinra. And she knew, somehow, that the "work" they were telling her about weren't as nice as they made them out to be.  
  
Without turning, she offered Cloud a slightly strained smile. "So, you're a mercenary, right? You take any job, correct?" Footsteps were now approaching her and she had to restrain herself from starting to talk really fast. "How would you like becoming my bodyguard?" Cloud raised an eyebrow at her, eyes darting quickly past her to see the Turk, and then coming back to her just as quickly. If Aeris hadn't kept her eyes on him, she would've thought that he'd been looking at only her the whole entire time. "And for your pay, how about a date with me?" she continued, starting to get a bit more desperate as the steps came closer and closer. She only has a couple of minutes left. If Cloud doesn't agree, then she'll have to make a run for it. And that might end disastrous, as she wasn't nearly as athletic as the Turks and they'd probably catch her easily.  
  
It was a great relieve to her when Cloud finally nodded his head. He strode past her and placed himself right in the path of the Turk and the three troopers. If they wished to get to Aeris, they'll have to get past him. His eyes were cold as they regarded the red-haired man with the scars on his face. For a second, Aeris thought she saw a calculated look apparent in the blonde's eyes, but that was quickly composed back to the ice-cold visage. Cloud and the Turk stared at each other over the short distance and the flower girl could almost see the purple sparks crackling along their line of vision. And then, suddenly, Cloud turned around toward the back of the church where possible escape lie; one arm stretched out sweeping Aeris along with him. His voice held unmistakable amusement when he said, "I'm her bodyguard. You can't have her." And Aeris found herself staring at the blond in shock, blinking as she followed the young man to that hopeful freedom.  
  
Reno of the Turks watched with hooded eyes as the spikey-haired blond man walked from his sight, his target following obediently although still open-mouthed in shock. He felt like dropping his jaws in shock himself. The man was unmistakably HIM.  
  
Reno met the Commander Strife once in his life, when he first became a part of Turks. He wasn't a gawking teenager, as he did his share of bloodshed to climb the social ladder, but the man awed him as he awed the whole world. It wasn't just that Commander Strife saved the Great Sephiroth's life. It was more than that. Nearing the end of the war, the camp of the Shinra army near the Wutaian area was under unexpected attack one night while General Sephiroth was gone, called back to base by the President. There was total chaos; the army's training was completely broken under the savage assault. Shinra soldiers were falling left and right of the enemy weapons. In the end, it was the newly made Commander Strife who rallied the troops and moved from defensive to offensive; it was he who single-handedly destroyed half of the attacking forces that night. It was true he had first gained his fame from saving the General's life, but it wasn't until that night did Cloud Strife become Midgar's second hero.  
  
And the blond man who just now proclaimed himself to be Aeris' personal bodyguard could not be anyone but the Cloud Strife Midgar lost five long years ago.  
  
But now that the man was out of sight, the redheaded Turk wasn't so sure any more. Cloud Strife was dead for five years, died during a mission at some remote town along with the Great Sephiroth. No one will ever forget the day the news was released by Shinra. So who was that short, yet undoubtedly powerful man, who looked so much like Midgar's dead commander?  
  
Reno scowled, letting the welcoming anger control his actions. He had enough of thinking. It didn't matter who it was, be it the Great Sephiroth or the near Legendary Cloud Strife. That man took his target, the girl that he'd been send to retrieve for nearly a year. Now that he finally had her cornered, the last thing he wanted to do is to let her get away.  
  
Reno walked across the round patch of sunny flowers, tracing the steps of the two he sought, pausing only after he had trampled all over them. The flower girl make him angry, slipping through his fingers every single damned time that he went after her. Tseng was always giving him a hard time about it, asking him why he could never catch her, yet reminding him each and every time to not hurt her or to resort to any drastic measures. He knew it was because of that bastard, Hojo's orders, but that didn't mean he have to like the message or the messenger. Reno looked at the crushed flowers under his feet and let out a silent snarl. "Mind your steps," he called over his shoulder, a hard look settling in his eyes as he focused on the doorway. There was a sneer in his voice when he said, "Don't step on the flowers, or the Boss'll get angry." Reno of the Turks continued on, completely ignoring the protests from the troopers about how he just now crushed them already.  
  
~ * * ~  
  
The private jet bearing the Shinra logo climbed above the clouds and then steadied toward its destination. Inside, the blonde Vice-President stared out of the window, pale blue eyes unblinking at the blinding whiteness. His hands, covered in a layer of soft leather gloves, where placed over the armrests. Other than the falling of his chest marking his breathing, there was no movement.  
  
"Your wine, sir."  
  
Rufus lifted his eyes from the window to focus on a single fluted crystal glass filled nearly to the brim with a crimson red liquid. He let his eyes follow the long-fingered hand holding that glass up to the man standing beside where he was seated, feet steady on the jet as if on sure ground, the wine in the glass sloshed against the side only imperceptibly. The blonde Vice-President gave a single nod of acknowledgement and thanks before taking the offered glass. His personal bodyguard, now relieved of his task, settled in the seat across and to the left of Rufus with an almost feline grace befitting that of the head of Shinra's infamous Turks. His arms crossed themselves at his chest and he tilted his head downward in an almost deferential way, eyes seemingly closed behind the fall of long black hair.  
  
Rufus let his eyes drift back to the blinding clouds again, seeing wisps of insubstantial white being dispersed by the jet. Four years ago, the young heir to the Shinra fortune was sent away from Midgar to some remote underwater research lab situated northeast of Bone Village. The reason given at the time was that Rufus needed to study all the scientific researches Shinra had managed to do outside of their main city. His lips twisted into a barely noticeable sardonic smirk, almost a grimace. He knew only too well why he was sent away from the place that he was born in. Only too, too well indeed.  
  
Rufus took a slow sip from his glass, letting the taste of the wine flow across his tongue, eyes still staring at the clouds, yet unfocused. After he had been sent away, he had no more contact with either his bodyguard nor his father, not that he cared in the latter case. However, the isolation served their purposes; Rufus now know only what every normal person in Midgar knows of the President's plans, and the information released in the Midgar News are edited only too well toward Shinra's favor. "Tseng," he finally said, voice soft, cool, and painstakingly polite. The longhaired Wutaian looked up at Rufus' face expectantly. Neither spoke. When no orders were forthcoming from the blonde, only then did the head of the Turks open his mouth.  
  
"Sir, the jet will not arrive at Junon for quite a few hours yet. Perhaps it would be best if you should rest a while."  
  
Rufus merely took another sip of his wine. He made no move to allocate himself to the rare area of the jet where it was designated his resting area. Tseng showed no emotions at his discarded suggestion. "Your hotel suite is already reserved at Junon and you will be staying the night there. I will be departing shortly after the jet arrives to take care of unfinished businesses that needs my personal attention. A helicopter will arrive tomorrow morning to take you to Midgar. Sir."  
  
Rufus finally looked up; cold blue eyes now focused on his taller and larger bodyguard. "Is that so." He took another sip from his glass. "You are escorting me only partially?" Tseng gave a short but polite nod. Only now did the blonde Vice-President of Shinra let a hint of interest creep into his voice as he asked, "What is so important that you are to go ahead of me?" There was silence. Rufus sighed, a sound that was lost under the noise of the jet engine. "It's true that the Research Lab get all the news from Midgar, but even Shinra takes time to deliver something from across the world. Tell me what's happening." His next swallow finished up half of the glass's content. He looked back at the clouds outside the window, knowing that it was always easier to tell things, good or bad, when you're not looking at the person you're talking to. His lips twisted again. "And I do so wish to know why my most esteemed father wish for my return so suddenly."  
  
"Sir, a certain resistant group named AVALANCHE had been bombing the Mako Reactors," said Tseng. "Investigations proved that the group originated from Sector 7. President Shinra planned to topple the pillar."  
  
"Hmm. I see," the blonde Vice-President murmured. So ruthless, old man, he thought, peering through the translucent red wine at the pure white clouds outside. They were tainted an ugly crimson. On the surface, you support the people, but underneath, you're just a bastard looking for chances to line your own pockets with Gil. Rufus' eyes narrowed.  
  
"Sir, there is also something else," Tseng said, words carefully weighted and voiced. There was a short pause, then, "One of the members of AVALANCHE claimed to be Cloud Strife."  
  
Rufus' head snapped around, his composure for a single second overridden by shock. But it was back just as quickly; the only thing that showed any difference was the intensity of his eyes, no longer ice blue, but a deep blue-green that seemed to swallow light. "I trust that you are not just feeding me tales." His voice held barely voiced warning, but Tseng caught it nonetheless.  
  
"No sir. About a dozen troopers were present at the time and they clearly heard the man call himself Cloud Strife. They are now being held by Shinra." It was clear why that was so.  
  
"It would be disaster if words get out that Cloud Strife is back and against Shinra," Rufus stated, frowning just slightly as he stared into the translucent red liquid of his wine. "And that would be the reason father want to topple the Plate just to destroy this one in a hundred resistance group," he murmured softly to himself. "It would indeed be disaster if the words get out...Cloud Strife, it's impossible..." He finally looked up, eyes now back to their normal ice cold blue. "Is there anything else to report?"  
  
Tseng gave another short nod. "Yes sir. Hojo had stepped up the security in the labs after his return to the Shinra Headquarters. That was a year after you were sent away." Rufus' glove-clad hand wrapped around the glass contracted sharply when the name was mentioned and his features twisted for a fraction of a second before becoming smooth and expressionless again. "He brought a frozen corpse specimen he termed JENOVA with him."  
  
JENOVA... Something inside of Rufus twisted and he had a violent urge to throw up the content of his stomach. Something deep within him recognized that name, although he didn't know what it was mentally. "JENOVA," he whispered again under his breath, the word rolling off his tongue smoothly, yet with a disgusting feel to that smoothness.  
  
"He also gave the order to capture a Sector 5 resident named Aeris Gainsborough after he came back," Tseng continued. Rufus gave a short nod, remembering the name from before he left Midgar. The order of her recruitment had always been there although there had been no progress with getting her to join the company. It was a matter that he, as the Vice- President of Shinra, knew of, but had never really looked into. He on the surface was the second most powerful man in Shinra Inc. under his father but that was on the surface only. He'd rather not deal with anything that was in some way related to the twisted Shinra scientist. The reason was a rather personal one that he used all his skills to avoid thinking of.  
  
"The order had always been there," Rufus stated, voice cold and neutral, seeking an answer but not letting out the actual question.  
  
"Yes sir, but before it wasn't very urgent. It was only recruit her if possible. After Hojo's return, the order was an all out capture, although he wished for the girl to not be harmed." Tseng's lips twisted slightly in contempt, the only expression that the head Turk had shown the whole entire time, but it was so brief that Rufus almost didn't catch it. "In his own words, he suggested that kidnapping would be the best way to do it."  
  
"I see. And was it successful?"  
  
"No sir. She had managed to escape every time, although part of it was due to Hojo's order to not harm her. Reno is the one on the job now."  
  
"Hmm. And the reason he wanted her capture?"  
  
"It was not clear, but apparently it was for the search of something called the 'Promised Land'. President Shinra had been most eager in this project, as it seemed that this 'Promised Land' is rich in Mako and would put our Mako Reactors to good use."  
  
Aa, yes, more Gil to line your pockets, isn't that right, father? Rufus took another sip of his wine, taking the moment to let the information settle down in his mind. Briefly, almost unseen, a small smirk graced his lips, knowing that the information were not intended to be passed to him. But Tseng had been his bodyguard for years. Rufus knew, somehow, that after all these years of interaction, Tseng is now most loyal to him, and only him, and would serve him above all, even his father, Tseng's employer and the President of Shinra Inc. Rufus didn't know how it happened, but it did and he was grateful to the Wutaian man, although he would never voice it or show it.  
  
"Was there anything else?" Rufus finally asked.  
  
"No sir."  
  
Rufus inclined his head slightly in thanks and then straightened. "Then I believe I shall take your advice of resting for the rest of my trip." He stood, leaving his glass on the seat next to him, not noticing as the glass toppled over and the remaining crimson wine soaked through the seat as he retreated to the rare of the jet. Behind him, Tseng sat stoically, in the same position as he had when he first sat down; eyes on the spilled glass, watching as the wine stained the material, red almost like blood. He did not look at Rufus' retreating figure. Under his skin, different array of emotions churned and coiled together, but on the surface, he was cold and expressionless, like a statue of ice cold marble.  
  
~ * * ~  
  
Aeris sat at the edge of her bed, staring aimlessly down at the wood beneath her feet. Outside her door, soft footsteps walked past and down the stairs. The flower girl let out a soft smile. She knew perfectly well that it was Cloud leaving and that her mother had asked him to leave without her. And for a little while, she almost wanted to let that happen.  
  
But of course she wouldn't. The feeling of wrong-ness from Cloud was almost tangible during their little escape from the church and she wasn't going to let that go. Something told her he was important. Beneath her feet, the Planet cried and she knew that she MUST follow him, even if it should put herself in the path of danger.  
  
Aeris stood slowly and then calmly took out all the things she would need. Her staff and the few materia that she had found and saved up. Quickly she put those materia into the slots in her weapon and bangle before straightening her clothes and tightening her braid. For a single second as her fingertips brushed the white orb attached to the tie, the wails of the Planet ebbed, but it came back just as quickly.  
  
Before she headed down the stairs she took a quick peek into the room that Cloud was in and sure enough, the bed was made and the room was empty. Aeris let an almost grim smile pass her lips as she stepped down the stairs. Her mother did not speak to her, merely looked at her with a sad yet fond smile on her face and nodded. There was nothing to be said, because Elmira knew that nothing she wanted to say would be able to stop her adopted daughter. Aeris smiled back, knowing somehow that this would be the last moment of her old and normal life. With her hands gripped tightly to her staff, she stepped out into the still dark morning. She knew the area much better than Cloud and the shortcuts should take her to the gate of Sector 6 long before Cloud ever make it there.  
  
Aeris looked up into the gloom that was the underside of the Top Plate, searching for the sunlight she knew would never penetrate through. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply before walking quickly down a side alley. She would get her answers, she was sure of it. She would understand why the Planet screamed in the wake of Cloud's footsteps.  
  
~ * * ~  
  
"Do you know me?" the child asked. His voice was soft, sad, and perhaps even a little condemning. He sat before a backdrop of darkness, legs pulled up to his chest with his skinny arms wrapped around them, the familiar head of blonde spikes resting on top of the bony knees, almost as if he was trying to hide.  
  
Of course Tifa knew who he was.  
  
The child stared at her with unblinking blue eyes. They were so piercing, so pure yet so very cold. Tifa wondered why she never noticed them before.  
  
"Do you know me?" the child asked again. "Or do you merely think you know me?"  
  
Tifa wanted to shout at the child. Why was he asking her if she knew him? How could she not know him? How could she not recognize Cloud, even if he was reduced to how he was years ago?  
  
"You don't know me at all," the child said. He stood up, suspending within the endless space, but his eyes never left hers. "Think, Tifa, think. Think about what you're doing." Suddenly, the child began to grow. "Think about what you're believing." And standing before her was the Cloud she was more familiar with, looking exactly how he was now, full grown and strong. The large buster sword was held in his hand, almost as if he was ready to strike. "Stop this obsession before it become too late." The blonde young man turned, the sword swirling in his hand, parting the air as he returned it to its place on the strap behind him. And then he was walking away, each step echoing strangely in the dark that was purely nothingness. "Who am I, Tifa?" he asked, voice drifting back to her even as he began to fade away. "Do you really know me? No, I don't think so. You don't know me at all. Not at all..."  
  
Tifa woke slowly from her dream; her eyes were open yet unfocused, still blurred by sleep. She shifted her head toward the side, noting that outside her small window, it was still dark. The Top Plate blocked all sunlight, of course, but the Mako-powered streetlights were programmed to brighten and dim according to time, a mockery to those who live in the Slums. Tifa squinted at the tiny glowing digits on her equally tiny Mako- battery powered alarm clock. It reads 5:45 AM.  
  
It was cold in the little room that she lived in behind her bar. Slowly, she sat up, the thick quilt pooling at her waist, and she shivered as the cool air hit her bare arms. Already, the dream was slipping away from her; all she could remember was a child, a blond child that continued to accuse her with something...but what she could not recall. Nor could she remember who that child was, although he seemed familiar to her.  
  
Tifa sighed and blinked slowly, chasing away the last vestige of sleep from her eyes. It didn't matter what she dreamed; after all, it was only a dream. What did a dream matter compare to reality? Tifa's expression suddenly sharpened, eyes clear once again with an almost calculated look in them. But no matter how clear they were, there was that same tiredness lurking behind it.  
  
Morning was quickly approaching and there was nothing she could do to hold it back. Time was an enemy that she could not fight against, no matter how hard she tried.  
  
But.  
  
But this time she has Cloud with her again. Everything would be fine as long as he is by her side.  
  
Cloud.  
  
~  
  
I...have a problem. It's quite a big problem, actually, and I'm sure those few who actually liked this story so far would try very hard to murder me as soon as I tell you.  
  
The problem is quite simple. It's been so long since I last even though of this story that I frankly forgot the details of the plot. ^^;;;; Plus the last time I touched FF7 was at least last year, and I don't trust my memory that much on a game that got a plot convoluted enough to make my head spin so...  
  
Basically I'm saying I'll have to stop writing this one for a while. Because of school and personal problems, I won't be able to replay FF7 until months from now, so until I refresh my memory and drag back up my original plot for this piece, I'll have to stop. Sorry everyone, but know that I WILL come back to this darned thing one day. ^-^ Until then, please enjoy the short one page one-shots I seem to suddenly like writing lately... 


End file.
